Carlsbad Crusader: Do we have a roadkill problem in Carlsbad?

No one likes to see a dead animal on the road, especially one that's been there for several days, let alone weeks.

We've had a couple of complaints about animals not being picked up off the road and I'd like to address it.

Martha Mauritson, A co-worker of mine who has lived in Carlsbad now for six years, has come across several occasions where animals were left to rot, for everyone who passes by to see.

She's originally from Las Cruces and before that Portales and has never encountered the issue before, even as a little girl she remembers seeing trucks pick up animal remains, she said.

"When I first came to Carlsbad, there was a dead deer not far out towards Artesia and I watched it for three or four years as it decomposed. Where I came from before, I always thought the highway department picked it up," Maurtison said.

Over the years she's noticed it's a problem. She's seen dead cats on roads that have even been moved to the curb and left to just decompose down to bones and fur.

Recently she came across a dead chihuahua on the curb out near National Parks Highway. She called it in to dispatch at the Carlsbad Police Department even though she couldn't tell if it was dead or alive. Dispatch said they would tell someone. Several days later it was still there. It wasn't until after the weekend that she noticed it was gone.

"People have asked me, why don't you pick it up? Because it's not my animal," she said.

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According to animal control supervisor Tina Dorado, her department picked up 35 dead animals off the roads for a monthly average in 2012 and she expects the numbers to rise this summer, anywhere from 60 to 70 calls a month, she said.

There are three officers who are in charge of animal control for the city of Carlsbad and lately the issue has been the increase of dead cats and squirrels on the roads. Dorado explained a lot of what they run into is the fact that they're not receiving calls from the public.

Taryn Walker

"We really rely on the community to give us locations, we can't go down every street to check if there's a dead animal there," Dorado said.
Sgt. Jason Griffin has dealt with a few animal control calls in his time at the PD. Although, patrolmen don't normally handle the dirty part of picking up the remains.

"I've noticed a lot of times where I've come across a dead animal on the street that I might have noticed has been there a couple of days and I call it in and find out that no one has even called it in," Griffin said.

What people may not know is that the calls have to be prioritized. If a vicious dog is roaming the streets, animal control has to handle that first and then pick up any remains that have been called in after that, he said.

The remains are usually picked up, placed in a bag and taken to the landfill, he said.

We don't know about it until someone calls it in, but if someone calls it in, it's usually handled within that day or the shift, he said.

The police's animal control office handles animals within the city limits but as for outside of that, it's the county's responsibility.

The main problem is that people assume that others have called it in or that animal control might have already seen it, Griffin said.

According to Police Chief Danny Fierro, he's seen fewer dead animals on the road in the last few years and things have definitely gotten better.

I have a hunch that the problem isn't only that the public isn't calling in but that they also don't know who to call. Clarissa Saum, an individual who commented on our Current-Argus Facebook page, led me to believe this.

"It was my understanding there was a department responsible to remove dead animals from the sides of the highways. I don't know if the highway department is who one must call, or the sheriff's office, but I will say that I have seen dead animals left on the side of the road until they have deteriorated to skeletons the stench and the bugs are horrible," Saum said.

For clarification, to report an animal that's running loose, showing signs of rabies and aggressiveness or lying deceased in county limits, contact (575)-887-7551 and ask for animal control. As for in city limits, (575) 885-2111. Artesia Animal Control may be reached at (575) 746-2704. If there is an emergency regarding an animal, police advise the public to dial 911.

Send your tips to me by email at twalker@currentargus.com, or call (575) 628-5511.